Journey to Find Me a New Car

[applehero]

Has the budget gone up... If so, got a good guy at Sytner Alpina / BMW Nottingham , the place we buy our cars from. Guy searches the dealer database and offers you the car before it goes into the Approved Used website. Prices are fair and there's an enthusiast who works at the parts division who advisors well.

Well... it seems like the budget is controlled by the heart unfortunately. Which does complicate things - the 130i was the car that started my appreciation for the development process ar ///M. From £4k to £10k -Eish. That has meant I havent looked at the alternatives. e46 M3 was never an uption because of price, but now there may be a few good ones available. So its widened my search greatly.

I have heard that Sytner is very thorough.

Go for it. I like the one with the satnav..:thumbs:

I do too - its everything you could ask for.

did i just read right?
R160 000 with 25000km on the clock?

wow,go for it:thumbs:

Yeah, crazy when you compare to SA. But the insurance is so much more...

Apple hero, I must say thy if you're starting to look in te £10k then the worlds your oyster - 2005/6 330i and 330d are plentiful- one one owner and full service history - there are a few on Pistonheads . E46 M3s galore- my search for an M car started with the e46 - 2001/2004 for under £10k. If the budgets increased then that too is great

Jerez, thats a fair point... I should really drive a couple of M's... Its difficult buying with the heart. lol

 

[S1NGH 001]

Has the budget gone up... If so, got a good guy at Sytner Alpina / BMW Nottingham , the place we buy our cars from. Guy searches the dealer database and offers you the car before it goes into the Approved Used website. Prices are fair and there's an enthusiast who works at the parts division who advisors well.

Well... it seems like the budget is controlled by the heart unfortunately. Which does complicate things - the 130i was the car that started my appreciation for the development process ar ///M. From £4k to £10k -Eish. That has meant I havent looked at the alternatives. e46 M3 was never an uption because of price, but now there may be a few good ones available. So its widened my search greatly.

I have heard that Sytner is very thorough.

Go for it. I like the one with the satnav..:thumbs:

I do too - its everything you could ask for.

did i just read right?
R160 000 with 25000km on the clock?

wow,go for it:thumbs:

Yeah, crazy when you compare to SA. But the insurance is so much more...

Apple hero, I must say thy if you're starting to look in te £10k then the worlds your oyster - 2005/6 330i and 330d are plentiful- one one owner and full service history - there are a few on Pistonheads . E46 M3s galore- my search for an M car started with the e46 - 2001/2004 for under £10k. If the budgets increased then that too is great

Jerez, thats a fair point... I should really drive a couple of M's... Its difficult buying with the heart. lol

+1 :thumbs:

 

[Jerez]

Well, if 10s the budget then and if you're a single guy - you're going to have fun searching - you might stumble across a 2005 Porsche boxter 987 for 10 or a 06 C55 for 9k or a few e39 M5s ranging from 6 to 9k- you did say you liked the v8s. Or, you cold buy an e46 330d and work the life out of it with the balance of your budget.im sure I recommended the Pistonheads website- enjoy, you're in a great position -- all that cash with a great great range to chose from

 

[OppositeLockMT]

There's a vast range of choice for that budget in the UK, but if I was in your position and I was looking at the 1 Series I would go for the 130i LE (Limited Edition), they aren't as easy to find but they are kitted out from the factory. Only as a 2-door though.

 

[Jerez]

Another recommendation would be to search " independant motor co- BMW"- theses guys were featured on the Performance BMW mag for the quality of their used M cars.
1s and the e90s are popular here making them not that special- but I still turn my head to give an e46 M a second look- 6 cyl- NA- scope for modds- tracks to drive them on- reasonably priced wheels and tyres and provided you get a low mileage example you can get " warranty direct " @ £800 ish for a comprehensive warranty through the main dealer .

£10k is a lot of cash and is not the same as R140k, so use it wisely and it won't depreciate as fast as other models would.
It ticks all your boxes

 

[herr bmw]

if i may ask,what is the cost of insurance in the uk?

 

[Jerez]

if i may ask,what is the cost of insurance in the uk?

Mein Herr.... The cost on my E92 ///M is £1500/ yr. I've had 1 claim 3 yrs ago and had 3 points on license ( for doing 35 in a 40 mph zone- it works in 3 point dinominatons eg, 3 , 6 9 and so on) these have lapsed after 3 yrs but ins co hold it as a marker for 5.

The e46 will be about half that depending on yr no claims bonus . The 130 won't be much less than the e46.
Road disk license on petrol large engined cars for e46 will be similar to 130i

 

[herr bmw]

if i may ask,what is the cost of insurance in the uk?

Mein Herr.... The cost on my E92 ///M is £1500/ yr. I've had 1 claim 3 yrs ago and had 3 points on license ( for doing 35 in a 40 mph zone- it works in 3 point dinominatons eg, 3 , 6 9 and so on) these have lapsed after 3 yrs but ins co hold it as a marker for 5.

The e46 will be about half that depending on yr no claims bonus . The 130 won't be much less than the e46.
Road disk license on petrol large engined cars for e46 will be similar to 130i

damn,what you pay on your m a year,i pay on my bm,nissan navara and all my household contents

why did you get 3 points on your licence if you were doing 35mph in a 40 mph zone?you were under the speed limit

 

[Jerez]

if i may ask,what is the cost of insurance in the uk?

Mein Herr.... The cost on my E92 ///M is £1500/ yr. I've had 1 claim 3 yrs ago and had 3 points on license ( for doing 35 in a 40 mph zone- it works in 3 point dinominatons eg, 3 , 6 9 and so on) these have lapsed after 3 yrs but ins co hold it as a marker for 5.

The e46 will be about half that depending on yr no claims bonus . The 130 won't be much less than the e46.
Road disk license on petrol large engined cars for e46 will be similar to 130i

damn,what you pay on your m a year,i pay on my bm,nissan navara and all my household contents

why did you get 3 points on your licence if you were doing 35mph in a 40 mph zone?you were under the speed limit

Oooooooooops- apologies, that should have read 35 in a 30 mph- caught by mobile camera fixed in a van.
Lol.... Just read that again- hey, saying that , there is some ruling which states minimum speeds .it might be on a motorway me thinks- could be wrong though.

Re the insurance, without points and my 1 claim, my insurance would have worked out to half that quote
Bloody high insurance - high license - high fuel bills :argh:

 

[applehero]

Well I have established that I clearly dont know what I want. I am constantly changing my mind.

I am currently interested in a 2003 M3 coupe. Seems to be relatively unabused. Its about 7500 Pounds - about R115 000. With 160 000kms. Now in terms of a loan, there will be little money left at the end of the month.

What I want to know, those that have M3's is it worth buying an M3 even if you are barely able to make the payments? The rational side of my brain says no. The driving part of my brain says yes!

Your thoughts would be helpful.

 

[applehero]

Well an update is needed on this thread...

I have been on the hunt for many cars. The car mentioned above was good, was concerned about some diff noise. Most noteworthy was the car had outstanding finance on it, and I was assured it didn't. That soured the deal for me completely.

However after a number of test drives, I have finally found a new car! Drove up North and bought it the weekend!

E46 330i, Oriental Blue. 2002 Model - Facelift. The car is definitely not perfect, but for my priorities it is great. Bumps and scratches and rust here and there. A few things need to be done to it, but looking forward to that. Will post pics in the showroom when I take some.

 

[applehero]

Pics in the Showroom Thread: My Oriental Blue E46 330i